DownUnderCover
by LouC
Summary: When shore leave turns deadly for a young Seaman, the NCIS MCRT goes under cover 'Down Under' to find who is responsible. Features the whole team but I have to revoke my no Tiva promise. Can't apologise, it's a sign of weakness.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

**After the really positive response I got to my 7pt oneshot on Paris (thankyou so much to everyone who reviewed it!), I have started writing one of the many awesome ways my mind creates to kill sailors…**

**  
The case was inspired by a concert was really held last year with a RAN band, civilian orchestra and a real cannon (with not-real explosives). I was almost disappointed that it all went off without a murder **** (kidding!)**

**  
Please note, that this is NOT related to episode 3.8 "Under Covers" . I just like the pun of the title **

**  
Also, this is about the case and the characters and will not be (too) shippery.**

* * *

*Phoohf*

It had turned out to be a wonderful day. The crowd that gathered on the foreshore had arrived slowly at first, the threat of rain holding people away. Once the weather stabilised, the families had come, as well as music lovers and friends of the performers.

As a result, the atmosphere was energised, with excited children running back and forth between their parents' picnic blankets and the food stalls.

  To one side, a group of men sat. They were not the type of attendees usually expected at this type of day. Their clean uniforms and tidy haircuts marked them apart from the other, more casual and relaxed concertgoers. Their covers had hardly designed for this climate and more than one mother had thought to herself that those boys would have very red faces that night.

The concert was drawing to a close. The final piece to be played was the main reason people had come. The 1812 overture was great on its own, but this day, it was being played with an instrument most fitting. The canon was the reason that most of the little boys (and to be honest, a great number of the dads) had been convinced that an orchestral concert in the park would be a fun way to spend their Saturday.

The piece was reaching its climax and the crowd waited, anticipating the loud blast soon to come. Some of the mothers covered ears of young children and the little boys could hardly stand still.

 It came, right on cue, met by squeals of delight and applause.

And then, another sound. The unmistakable, high-pitched scream of a woman who had just witnessed something horrific.

One of the young Seamen lay a few feet away from his buddies. Their faces and crisp, white shirts were splattered with drops of red. Their young friend heaved a breath but did not exhale. His head fell sideward as shocked families backed away from the gruesome sight.

Almost forgotten at the edge of the stage, the mouth of the cannon emitted wisps of smoke, unaware of the chaos it had just created.

 *Phoohf*


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N I forgot to say last time (as if it isn't obvious) I don't own NCIS. It owns me but that is not the same thing…**

* * *

*Phoohf*

"Special Agent Tony Dinozzo, have you been here all night?" came a voice from somewhere behind the fog.

"Abby, shh." he groaned. "Not so loud, it is only...what time is it?"

Leaving his hands on the desk in front of him, Tony lifted head and squinted at his friend.

Abby suppressed a laugh as she reached out and gently pulled away the post-it note, which was stuck to his left cheek. She turned it over to read the agent's hieroglyphic writing.

"_Rule # 8. Ever"_

Abby translated Gibbs' rule in her head. "_Don't take anything for granted." _She could guess at what the cryptic note meant. It was not that much of a stretch for anyone who had been part of the team these last few months.

"It's 0700, Tony," she answered gently. "You _have_ been here all night, haven't you."

His mind reached for a witty reply, his usual way of avoiding answering questions he did not want to answer. His mind would not co-operate.

"Yeah," he admitted with defeat. "I guess I must have fallen asleep. I was nearly finished my report and I thought I would just rest my eyes for a minute."

"Tony, you work so hard. All day long you joke and bait them but you stay after they have gone and do more than you have to. And Abby sees." She gently placed her hand on his cheek, where the post-it had been. "Abby sees everything."

It was too early for this. But even though his brain was still half asleep, Tony knew that Abby understood him. She might act childishly at times, but he had realised a long time ago that it was her way of coping. Where he wisecracked his way through a difficult time, Abby remained impossibly positive and 'innocent'. She shamelessly felt the full range of human emotion and was never shy about expressing it.

"Abby, I..." he sighed. "Not today, O.K? I still need to finish this before the boss arrives."

"And I need to go and wake my babies from their slumber."

She knew that he would come to her when he was ready. Reaching to her friend, she stuck the post-it on his shirt, over his heart. "Don't you take yourself for granted, Tony." She said softly.

With a smile, she turned and began walking towards the elevator. She had not reached the end of McGee's desk when Tony called after her.

"Abbs, could you leave me the..."

"I did." she interrupted with a laugh. "You owe me three now"

"Thanks"

"_What did I ever do to deserve these people?_" Tony wondered as he lifted the straw to his lips. He knew that he needed to finish last night's work before the rest of the team arrived. He didn't like to leave things because some days they caught a case immediately after closing another. His gut feeling was that that today would be one of those days. That was why, at only 0700, he was still wearing yesterday's suit and drinking Caf Pow!.

***


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N **

**Sorry I didn't post last night. I was sick and fell asleep as soon as I got home. **

**Also, some chapters are longer than others. Just depends on the amount of action I guess. I am trying to post each day though. The next week's worth is almost written.**

**Please keep the reviews coming, this is my first non-oneshot (and second FF ever!) so let me know how I can improve!**

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The hand stretched out from under the blanket and fumbled around on the coffee table for the cause of that dreadful noise. He hated being woken by his cell for two reasons. One, he despised the thing. It was an unwelcome intrusion on his solitude. Two, a call at this hour usually meant a body had been found. It was for this reason, that despite his loathing of the technology, Gibbs demanded that his team, and he in turn never be out or contact.

He saw the caller ID "Vance" and time 0712. This would not be good.

"Gibbs" he said gruffly, sitting up on the couch.

"Morning Gibbs." the Director answered. "I know your team left after 2100 last night but I need you in immediately. Alert your team to stay in their homes and wait for further instructions. I won't say any more now."

"It's big?" Gibbs asked as he stood and began gearing up.

"It is." Vance sighed. "Don't know how big yet though. Let's just say 'international incident' and leave it at that. Security will alert me when you arrive, please come straight up."

*** 

The drive to the navy yard should have taken longer but bad weather had kept many commuters home. It had been particularly cold the last week and the conditions had only added to their workload. The victim of their last case would not have died had it been summer. The wounds the petty officer had sustained in the fight with his best friend were far from fatal, but when his friend panicked and ran off, the cold had finished what the knife did not. Ducky had lamented that the TOD was less than an hour before the body was found. Now the friend was looking at life for a petty argument over a girl. It was the kind of arrest that Gibbs hated making.

Gibbs proceeded straight from the security check to the bullpen. He noted that DiNozzo's backpack was behind his desk, and the half dozen empty coffee cups in the wastebasket told him that his senior agent had not been home. Gibbs wondered again if he should have a talk with Tony. It was obvious he still carried guilt, but recently, there was something else too and it concerned him, both as a lead agent and friend. Gibbs decided keep his thought to himself. Tony needed to accept for himself the events of the last year and as long as it did not make his work suffer, Gibbs thought it best to leave it.

Vance's assistant was not yet in but the door to the office was open.

"Yes sir, he has just walked in." Vance motioned Gibbs to the chair in front of his desk. "I will call you as soon as the team is ready for departure." He hung up the phone and opened his desk drawer. Taking out a file and opening it, he flicked through the pages until he found the one he wanted.

Gibbs' curiosity got the better of him. There were not many people the director of a federal agency called 'sir'.

"SecNav?" he asked.

"Sec Def" Vance answered. "And before that homeland security, the White House chief of staff and the National Manager for counter terrorism from the AFP"

"Busy morning then." Gibbs was a little confused. "The AFP?"

"Australian Federal Police."

"Ah." Gibbs realised. "The international incident was literal then, not metaphorical."

"At 1545 local time today, a Seaman was killed on shore leave in Brisbane. He was in a park, surrounded by families when he was shot with a cannon. I know, I thought it was a prank when they rang me too, Gibbs, but this is for real."

"Off the Seahawk?" Gibbs asked. He knew from ZNN that the carrier was docked in the area.

"Yes. He and his buddies were at a concert and someone switched the blanks for a real cannonball. Of all the ways to..." the director trailed off.

"And the agent afloat is not investigating this why?" Gibbs could not help wonder how the director had told agent afloat, who had probably been writing up misdemeanors the last three months, that he was not on a real case.

"Because," Vance sighed, "at the moment, the agent afloat is our number one suspect."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Sadly, still don't own NCIS. Maybe for my birthday…**

**Thanks for the reviews! It really does help to know our ideas are working.**

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"We're on, Agent Gibbs" the MTAC operator said, as he flicked the connection to the main screen.

"Special Agent Gibbs. Vance has begun your briefing?"

"Yes, Mr Secretary" the agent replied.

"It sounds like an open and shut case but it is a political nightmare, for America and the agency. If out Agent afloat did this, on foreign soil, well. My poker game with the other heads is not going to be the only thing this agency suffers through."

"Understood, Sir." Gibbs replied. "We have my team on standby for their orders. We will report in from the air with the final plan for your go ahead."

"Until then." The secretary motioned to his communications officer to end the call.

Just as the secretary flickered off the screen, DiNozzo came down the ramp, with two coffees, one of which he handed to his boss. "You wanted to see me, Gibbs?" he asked. Gibbs nodded and motioned to the MTAC operator.

"Please bring up agents David and McGee on conference call." Turning to Tony, he motioned to the seats behind them and the two agents sat.

"We are going on a trip, DiNozzo." Gibbs did not sound enthusiastic about the idea.

 At that moment, Tim and Ziva's confused faces appeared on the MTAC screen, side by side in twin video conference boxes.

"Gibbs?" Ziva asked. She had wondered for the last five minutes, since MTAC put her on standby, why they were video conferencing with their own boss and not called into the navy yard like usual. "This sounds serious. Is someone hurt?"

"A Seaman was shot this morning. On shore leave. Pack your gear. Don't know how long for. Be here at 0830. You will be read in when we are in transit." Gibbs wondered if he had forgotten anything. He added as an afterthought, "You might want to bring a hat."

His probies vanished from the screen and he turned to his Senior agent. "You won't have time to go home, DiNozzo. Get what you can from your locker. The rest you can buy when we get there."

"Uh, Boss, where exactly is the there that we are going to?" Tony asked, unable to hold his curiosity in check any longer.

Brisbane, Australia." Gibbs replied. "But Tony, don't get too excited, you're not going to like this mission."

"Are you kidding, Boss!" DiNozzo scoffed. "We're going 'down under' to the land of surf, sea and hot chicks in bikinis. Not to mention those cute koala bears and kan...ugh. What was that for?" he was sure he had not deserved that head slap. Well, maybe the bikini comment had been too much. He hadn't meant it anyway. Random, hot bikini clad women were not so appealing to him as they had once been. But he refused to dwell on that.

"That," Gibbs answered, "Was for you to remember. This will not be fun for you, Tony." Gibbs repeated, this time with more force.

"What aren't you telling me boss? Why are you waiting until we are in the air to brief us?" Tony was becoming worried. Just what had this Seaman been involved in?

"You will know soon enough." Gibbs answered, only adding to DiNozzo's frustration. Gibbs knew though that it was best if he waited until they were safely at 30,000 feet until he told his Senior Agent where he was going undercover.

**A/N**

**The more I write the harder I find it to keep my absolutely no shipper promise. I can't help it because I see it creeping into the show more and more and that influences how I write. So. Um, get over it or stop reading :) I still promise that there will be NO hanky panky business in the case. That is NOT reasonable within canon (yet).**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N I don't own NCIS. I am running out of witty ways to say that.**

Back at his desk, Tony ran through different scenarios in his head. Drugs? Smuggling? Nothing seemed to warrant the level of secrecy surrounding the case. Gibbs was unusually cryptic, even for him, and Tony knew that his security clearance should have been high enough to be fully read in. He thought of hacking into the file but could not even find a digital trail for the new case.

His mind going in circles, he emptied his backpack onto his desk, adding its contents to the pile of stuff from his locker. He had a set of NCIS sweats (clean), two pairs of socks (not so clean),sneakers, a dirty Ohio State shirt and crumpled jeans from his locker. He was already wearing the clean business shirt, which he had changed into just before entering MTAC.

His backpack was no more promising. iPod, a car magazine, gum and another pair of socks. Not much to sustain an agent through an indefinite overseas case. Typically, he had decided the day before that his extra toothbrush, which usually lived in his bottom drawer with paste and a glass, was worn out and he had tossed it.

He considered his options. Was it worth arousing the suspicion, and the inevitable misunderstanding it would cause if he called for more things? He decided that it was worth it. Half the clothes he had were dirty and he needed his shaving things. And considering the length of the flight, his iPod charger wouldn't hurt either.

He picked up his cell and pushed speed dial 3.

"I already am." she answered. "Three Ohio shirts or four?"

"Um, make it four. Some pants might be a good idea. And my chargers and razor. A work shirt? Oh, and my toothbrush. Thanks."

"No problem she answered." She knew he would have his backpack, but they took that to crime scenes and he wouldn't want to carry his stuff around all day.

"Do you need a bigger bag?" She wondered if she was being too practical, but she asked anyway.

"Yeah. I'll need my backpack for the equipment." Tony had not even thought of the potential problem. He was glad he had called after all.

"No problem." she said again.

"I'll see you when you get here. Thanks, Ziva."

Hanging up the phone, Tony returned his attention to the supplies he had gathered already. He made a pile of things which would eventually go back in his backpack. He left these on his desk. He stuffed the clothes back in the bag, ready to switch them into Ziva's spare bag at a discreet moment. He knew that they needed to be careful or their team mates might start getting ideas and making assumptions. Neither of them were ready to explain themselves. Because they couldn't.


	6. Chapter 6

The elevator pinged and McGee stepped out, bags in his hands. He hurried past the cubicles to the desks his team occupied. Tony was sitting in his chair, leaning back with his head propped against the filing cabinet.

"Nice bag, McMoney" he commented, as McGee placed his luggage in the middle of the work space. "Writing business must be going well if you're buying Louis Vuitton. In sets." He noted the top brand laptop case to go with the oversized carry on bag.

"You know the stock market messed me up, Tony" McGee defended himself. "I bought these almost two years ago. We just don't get the chance to use our luggage very often."

"Come on, Timmy. What about that lovely trip I took you on during the summer. Africa was lovely that time of year. Not too many flies." Tony tried to make light of the mission which had resulted in their capture, but he could not hide the tension in his voice.

"No, the flies were good" McGee admitted. "It was more the unseasonal number of terrorists which bothered me. Can we please change the subject?" He was afraid Ziva would walk in and hear.

"Sure. So, Timmy. Tell me what you know about our little trip." Tony walked across the bullpen and clicked up a map on the plasma.

"I don't know anything more than Gibbs told us on the phone." McGee said, his frustration clear in his voice. "But you do, don't you! What did Gibbs tell you, where are we going? When is he going to tell the rest of us? I am kind of annoyed. I can't believe that he would keep us...uh. Sorry boss." he finished as he flinched from the head slap.

"Second one I've given this morning." He turned to face his agents. "You two need to pull it together. And you..." he said turning to Ziva, who had just run from the elevator, "Are late."

Ziva stepped around the corner and dropped her two bags on the floor with McGee's, giving one a strange jiggle before she let go of it. She looked at her watch.  "It is 8:29. I believe I have one minute to spare, Gibbs." she defended herself. The lead agent shrugged.

"Tony, Ziva. Field kit from the van. Pack light, you know what we need. McGee, I want you checking flight times from LA to Brisbane. Get us on a flight as close to 1400 as you can. We are booked on a United flight at 1530. See if you can do better."

McGee stood with his mouth open. "Brisbane, Australia?"

"Now!" Gibbs ordered.   "On it boss!" he answered as he began typing furiously.

During this exchange, Tony had walked to the growing pile of bags on the floor. While the backs of his boss and senior partner were turned, he quickly tipped the clothes from his backpack into the bag which Ziva had jiggled. Then he scooped the remaining belongings from his desk into the open backpack and ran towards the elevator where Ziva was waiting. He slid in just as the door was closing.

"Morning" he said, a little out of breath. "That was a risky move you pulled. What if I had not noticed your bag dancing?" he asked.

"You notice everything these days, Tony. Besides, the switch could have been made anywhere. In the truck, at the security gate, when we were checking in I could hand it to you..."

"Ok, ok super spy. I get the picture." He stopped her, knowing the list would likely be a long one. "You've had experience with this sneaky thing before, I know."

"Not this kind of sneaky, Tony." she admitted. "But there is nothing that sneaky about it. You are just lucky that you bought so much junk in Paris and that I was weakened by lack of sleep when you begged me to bring home half of your clothing."

"Luck. Ha!" He smirked at her. "How do you know that I do not have a grand plan and that was all part of it?" he teased. The elevator dinged as it reached the garage level and the agents stepped out.

"Besides," he added with an annoying wink, "That only accounts for two of my shirts and the sweatpants."

Ziva looked at the concrete floor of the garage as she dug the van keys out of her pocket.

 "Well, I still do not like it." She insisted as they packed various crime scene equipment into their backpacks. "It makes it feel like we are doing something wrong. We have not broken any rules. I am quite sure." She mentally ran through some of the fifty or so rules Gibbs expected his agents to live by.

"I know we haven't." Tony sighed. He was painfully aware that they had not. And he knew he was not the alone in the frustration.

 When they were finished packing the essentials from the van, they made a neat pile of equipment by the door and went back to the main floor to Gibbs and McGee.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N I don't know the finer points of military travel so please suspend your disbelief. I forgot Andrews was airforce when I wrote it first but I think it adds to the high level people involved… **

**  
Start looking for clues, kiddies. This is where the real case begins :)**

**Disclaimer: NCIS is not mine. This makes me no money. It does lose me sleep and friends…**

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"8:45. Grab your gear" Gibbs said and they picked up their bags.  

"Boss" McGee had not moved from his desk.

"Hurry up McGee!" Gibbs was growing agitated.

"Boss, I can get us on a Qantas flight at 1405 if two fly business class and two fly economy." he tried not to sound too hopeful that he would be in business class.

"Book it. Let's go" Gibbs would let him know later that he had done a good job. He would not tell him outright, it was not his way. Maybe he would let him sit in business class with him. He would certainly talk less than DiNozzo.

***

The drive to Andrews had been uneventful. Tony's face had lit up like a boy's when he saw their ride across the country. The AirForce transport was standing by for them and they were in the air in less than five minutes. It suggested to the team that someone pretty high in the command food chain had a hand in their itinerary. McGee resisted the urge to ask why they could not take the private plane the whole way to Australia. He wanted to avoid another headslap for the morning.

Gibbs took advantage of the privacy of the plane to fully brief the team on the more specific elements of the crime.

"The agent afloat, Agent Johnathan Hargreaves, had been hard on the young guys. He wrote them up for misdemeanors and sometimes more serious offenses on here-say and they soon stopped reporting to him."

"Did anyone report him?" Tony asked. He was all too aware of how easy it was to build bad relationships when you were the policeman for 5000 sailors.

"Twelve different sailors reported him. Some of them more than once. Five Petty Officers and seven Seamen." Gibbs replied, reading the file.

"That would suggest that he wasn't being so hard on higher ranked officers then" Ziva observed.

"I hate to speak badly of a fellow agent, but it sounds like he was on a power trip." Gibbs admitted.

"What makes him the chief suspect in the murder of Seaman Jenkins?" McGee asked. "Was he one of the men who reported Hargreaves?"

"Twice." answered Tony who had taken the file from Gibbs to look at some things for himself.

"But why would Hargreaves kill for that?" McGee did not understand. "It would hardly end his career. He would be knocked down a notch or two but it is not worth killing for."

"That is where we come in." Gibbs knew the time had come to break the bad news. "We have to investigate the murder in the usual way, physical evidence, witnesses. But we, the director and I..." he ignored DiNozzo's raised eyebrow at the comment "Think that this was more about what was going on on that carrier. There are gaps in the paperwork that need filling. Hargreaves had a good reputation before this and something just does not add up."

"It's hinky?" offered McGee. The word, which they had all learnt from Abby, summed it up pretty well.

"Very." Gibbs took a deep breath. "We need to know what was really going on on that ship. And we need someone who can slip into the place of Heargreaves without causing suspicion. Obviously the person will be an NCIS agent but none of the sailors, not even the Skipper, will know why he is really there."

"Don't say it, Boss." Tony knew what was coming next. Gibbs had warned him that morning that he would not be happy. He was beginning to suspect why.

"DiNozzo, I don't like it any more than you do" Gibbs' ignored the childish laugh which escaped Tony's lips. "But you have to admit that those four months afloat you did a damn good job. You built relationships with the men. They trusted you. We need that again."

Tony was astounded. That was as close to a compliment as you got from the boss. He supposed at least this time there was a time frame and he was not being punished. He didn't think so anyway...

"Ok. But I get full communication privileges. I mean, I'm gonna need to be kept in the loop about the details of the case. Regular updates, that sort of thing." he finished lamely.

Gibbs smiled. It was rare but it did happen. He had not expected Tony to take it this well. It showed how much his senior agent had grown up in the last year. And it made him just a little bit proud.

"Of course" he agreed to Tony's demands. "But any mucking around and you will only need updating at most once a week."

"Yes, Boss." Tony agreed. He knew there was no point pressing the matter further.

"You two," Gibbs said turning his attention to Ziva and McGee, "Will be with me on shore going over witness statements and re-interviewing anyone of interest. McGee, there is footage from park cameras which will need to go to Abby along with scans of the bullets and any prints for her to analyse. She can run things through AFIS faster than the AFP can and given that the killer was probably from the carrier we'll need her access to the Navy database. Ziva, you go over that park with a fine tooth comb and look for anything out of place. The AFP are good but the suspect is one of us so we have an advantage"

The words rung in their ears "The suspect is one of us". It dawned on the three agents why the case was so important to the director. This was no ordinary navy murder. There was a good chance it had been committed by someone sworn to protect and serve the victim.

**A/N Stay tuned for a short chapter tomorrow. What?! I gave you so much today! Please keep the reviews coming.**

**LouC.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I don't own NCIS. I just enjoy messing with their heads…**

Gibbs spent the rest of the flight on the comm. First the SecNav to get the final go for the plan and then with Vance hashing out some fine details. They would be more or less off grid for the next 13 hours. They could hardly talk about the case on a plane full of civillians. Ziva continued to study her American History, preparing for her imminent citizenship exam and McGee tapped away at they keys on his laptop. Tony spread himself across three seats and tried to catch up on some sleep from the night before. It was pointless though. There were too many thoughts and emotions crowded into his head.

They landed at San Diego and were immediately ushered into a waiting helicopter. Gibbs gave the all clear for take off and the pilot radioed the tower. They were in the air in less than two minutes. Half way to LAX, McGee began to wonder if they planned to just drop in on the major international airport. He did not think that the SecNav's authority swung that far. The FAA might have some objections.

His questions were answered when the chopper touched down not at the airport but the heli-pad of the hotel next door. They walked through the hotel, crossed the roads into the airport and entered the terminal at 1345. Five minutes after the flight had closed.

Fortunately, there were perks to traveling on the SecNav's dime. That and their high security clearance allowed them some leeway. They were not checking any of their bags and once he had learnt that there was a printer on board, McGee had electronically checked them in using the wireless on the Airforce plane. They headed straight to security and went through the usual routine with the sigs and rule #9s and vials of test equipment and these days even the toothpaste. If they were not in such a hurry, it would have been amusing to see the terrified passengers watch Ziva disassemble her mobile arsenal before going through the scanners. It had always seemed a pointless exercise to Tony since they were taking the sigs and toothpaste with them anyway. He could not work the logic out. Although now that he thought about, they should check Ziva's pockets for paperclips...

They made it to the gate just as the final call was being made. Gibbs grabbed the boarding printouts from McGee and re-distributed them to his satisfaction. He was not sure that it was wise to let DiNozzo and David sit together for thirteen hours, but he knew that Tony would either sleep or talk and the noise he made doing either was unacceptable to Gibbs on a trans-Pacific flight.

"McGee, you're with me," he said as he walked down the tunnel to the plane.  "Yes, Boss!" Tim replied. He could not believe his luck. Business class and no DiNozzo. It was turning into a not so bad day.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N Again I must apologise for the inconsistent chapter sizes. It just depends where I feel the action best breaks up. **

**Please review me. I know it feels a little 'teamy' and not enough 'casey' so far but the chances for interaction on a long flight and over-seas trip are too spacial to skip!**

"McGee, you're with me" Gibbs said as he walked down the tunnel to the plane.

"Yes, Boss!" Tim replied as he hurried after him.

"David, you're with me" Tony tried to emulate the interaction they had just witnessed.   

"Don't even try." Ziva threatened as she stalked past him and entered the plane.

"Far aisle in the middle" the flight attendant told her as she handed over her boarding pass. Most of the passengers were seated and a few of them shot angry looks at the latecomers as they walked through the plane.

"Far aisle by the window" the woman told DiNozzo. When he caught up and followed his partner, she had reached the rear of the plane where the last two empty seats were waiting for them.

Tony paused a moment when he saw the third passenger in their row. The aisle seat was occupied by a gruff looking man, who Tony suspected did not like flying. He was tall and solidly built and Tony knew he did not imagine the fleeting moment of hesitation in his partner. He saw her back tense and she stopped in her tracks. It was only for a split second, and anyone else would have missed it. But it was all the time he needed.

Tony squeezed past her and begged her to swap seats.  "I always end up sleeping crooked, squished against the wall and I wake up with the worst backache. You don't want me complaining about that for the next two days do you?" He flashed her the smile which she found far less annoying now that she knew what it really covered.

"Very well." she tried to maintain a nonchalant edge to her voice but her eyes said a silent "_Thank you"._

Gibbs and McGee, being in business class, had more room so had taken the equipment with them. Tony and Ziva were left with their own backpacks and Ziva's 'two' bags. They stored their clothes bags in the overhead locker and squeezed past the man in the aisle seat. They secured their seat belts and settled in for the long haul.

The usual speech about masks and lifejackets began and Ziva silently laughed to herself, remembering the mission which had ended with her parachute drop from the limits of survivability, into the freezing Atlantic Ocean. As the demonstration continued, another thought entered her mind.

Ziva could not help herself. She wondered if the studious attention DiNozzo paid to the safety demonstration was due to the cute Australian flight attendant. There was the beguiling accent to consider...She pushed the thought aside. It was going to be a long flight and if she allowed those ideas to creep into her head...There was no telling what she might do. Paperclips or not.

She rested her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes. They had not stopped since the phone call that morning, almost seven hours ago. Ziva knew she would need to sleep on the plane if she had any hope of avoiding serious jetlag. The thirteen hours flying time plus the fifteen hour time difference meant they lost over a day in travel. She had not slept well last night and she was loathe to admit the reason why.

***

McGee was studying the emergency evacuation pamphlet and had located his life vest under his seat. His iPod, puzzle book, pen and water bottle were all neatly arranged in the seat pocket, ready for use the moment the 'seatbelt' light went off. McGee would never admit it to anyone but he was almost as excited as Tony about their destination. His methodical laying out of his in-flight entertainment was his way of bring a little 'McGee control' back into his mind.

After they had stowed the luggage, Gibbs strapped himself in and closed his eyes. They had not even taken off yet, but McGee was fairly certain his boss was already asleep.

As pleased as he had been that Gibbs had chosen to sit with him, Tim quickly realised that the flight would have been more enjoyable if he had been with Ziva or Tony instead. Sighing to himself, he braced for the g forces as the plane gained speed and left the ground. It was going to be a long night.

***

After the seatbelt sign pinged off, Tony reached for his bag and pulled out his iPod and headphones.

"What, no movie?" Ziva teased. This was out of character of him.

"I'm too tired." Tony admitted. "I didn't exactly sleep well last night. Alone, at my desk. Until Abby woke me this morning." He could not help but resent that last file which he had not finished before the events of the morning took over.

"In that case, now we sleep." Ziva said matter of factly. "I tossed and turned last night and you had your hairy knuckles for a pillow. We need to rest or we will be unable to do our jobs properly." She wriggled over in her seat until she was resting comfortably, her pillow padding her body from the hard plastic fuselage wall.

 Tony turned the volume of his music up. She could hear the tinny echo and opened her eyes to see him slouched down awkwardly in his seat, chin resting on his chest. She reached out and took the iPod from him. She turned the volume down to a less deafening level and slipped it back into his hand. He looked up, feeling like he had been scolded by his mother. Well, his au-paire at any rate. Without hesitation, Ziva lifted the arm rest between them and gently gripped his elbow.

"What if one of them comes back here and..." he began to protest.

"Shh." She slipped her arm behind his shoulders and turned his body slightly so his back was resting against her side.

"Some people lean on total strangers on a plane." She insisted.

She coaxed his sleepy head closer to hers until he was nestled not awkwardly on her shoulder but comfortably in the crook of her neck. He offered her one of the earbuds and she placed it gently in her left ear.

"Sleep" she commanded.

And they did.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**

**Ok, this chapter (split over today and tomorrow) is now unashamedly Tivaish. I still maintain that is not beyond the realms of possibility but it is no longer remotely canon. I tried. I hope you enjoy it. If you want to see more of my (also now proved non canon by Masquerade) interpretation of Paris, check out my other story on it. It is obvious which one it is…**

* * *

Six hours later, Tony was woken when the passenger on the aisle seat kicked him in the calf. Hard. He heard the snuffling behind him as the man, obviously asleep, readjusted his position.

Tony opened his eyes. The first thing he realised was that he too had done some mid-slumber position changing. Instead of being reclined against his partner, he had turned towards her and flung his arm across her sleeping body. He did not mind at all where his face had ended up finding rest. He could hear her heart beating and feel her lungs fill and empty with soothing regularity. His back would surely protest the awkward position in the coming days, but his subconscious, it seemed, was only doing what it had become used to. It was admittedly a lot easier to do lying down than crammed into an economy class seat.

The second thing he realised was that if Gibbs caught him lying like that, he would need the emergency oxygen mask to recover from the headslap. With that thought, he carefully lifted his arm from across Ziva's body and straightened up in his seat. He didn't mind this position either because now he could watch her sleeping. Not in a creepy way. He enjoyed the peace that came over her when she was sleeping and he rarely woke before her 0500 running sessions.

The third thing that Tony realised was that he liked waking up next to Ziva. That he had missed waking up next to Ziva that morning. Not that he would, or could, admit it to anyone else yet. He had no idea how it had come to be that he woke up more mornings at her house than his. He just could not believe that it had become his daily routine with such ease. But he did know when. He could pinpoint the exact night that it had begun.

Paris. What a trip that had been. Tony could hardly remember the whirlwind visits to museums and statues. But he would never forget waking up in the middle of the night to Ziva thrashing on the floor beside the couch. He had suspected she did not sleep. The dark circles ever present under her eyes had made that pretty clear. But he had no idea the ferocity of her nightmares until that night. He had held her until she stopped shaking and then carried her, exhausted, to the soft bed which he won in the coin toss. He remembered how vulnerable she had seemed to him that night as he stroked her hair and whispered soothing words. She had eventually drifted off, but he had been afraid to let her go in case she drifted back to that place again. He remembered how it felt to hold her, not expecting anything and feeling totally at ease with that.

The next night, after they had arrived home, he remembered that he had left his clothes in her luggage as he had overindulged a little on the souvenirs. Ok, he had overindulged a lot. He had gone to her house after work to get his things and they had ordered pizza and watched a movie. Time had slipped away from them and he had ended up sleeping on her couch. She woke in the small hours of the morning, yelling something in Hebrew. He had gone to her room and woken her up, again assuring her that it was a dream and that she was safe now. When he was sure she was asleep again, returned to the couch for a few more hours sleep himself.

And that was how it had been well over half of the nights since the end of January. Some nights she had nightmares, some she did not. Many nights they shared her bed, some nights he slept on the couch. There was no rhyme or reason, no pattern to the arrangement. Neither of them had ever brought it up. It was the new status quo.

Some nights he would not go over and he would lie awake in his empty apartment. Sometimes, he would give up on sleep and sneak into her house. She was never alarmed to wake up for her run and find him sleeping on her couch. They had not swapped keys or anything like that. To do so would be purely symbolic for two people with their particular set of skills...

The fourth thing that Tony realised was that this would probably be the last time in a while that the third thing happened. He did not like that realization.

The fifth thing Tony realised was that he hadn't noticed until that morning how much of his stuff was at her house now. After the initial Paris stuff never made it home, the rest seemed to have migrated there with him. The clothes he had worn to work that day. The running gear he took for the rare mornings he was awake early enough to join her. The razor had migrated after the head slap and the "_Shave your face DiNozzo or my knife will do it for you." _He had started throwing his clothes in her washing machine ready for work the next day and they had just not found their way back to his house. That is how she was able to pack an entire bag for him without visiting his apartment.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N Hi everyone. Thanks for the kind reviews and alerts! Someone said that he had accidentally moved in with her and that made me laugh!**

**This chapter was kind of hard to write. I really wanted to stay as true to their voices as possible while having some fun with them! **

**Special thanks go to Ryalin for helping me get the most important thing, their little points of language right.**

His thoughts were broken by movement beside him. Ziva turned her body so she was facing him.

"Morning" she whispered. Most of the other passengers were sleeping.

 "Actually, I think it is 2100 DC time" Tony corrected her. "But it sure feels like morning. No chance of a ten mile run though." he smiled.

"Have you been awake long?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

"Maybe half an hour? I didn't check the time when I woke up. I've been thinking"

He mentally head slapped himself. He was opening the door to potentially awkward questions.

"About?" She walked right through the open door.

"Um. Honestly?" he hesitated. "About this." He indicated the two of them, pointing with his index finger. "How this, waking up next to you, is not weird. About how much I like it."

She smiled. "Me too, Tony." They were silent for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Tony, do you remember this morning in the elevator?" she asked. "I said I feel like we are sneaking around and I do not like it because we are not doing anything wrong?"

"Yeah. I remember." He wondered where she was going with this.

"I think that perhaps we _are_ breaking therules." she said quietly.  

"_The_ rule?" Tony asked. She couldn't mean _the_ rule. "Ziva, I know I'd remember if we had...I mean...I would remember." He finished lamely.

"Tony, Gibbs did not tell us "Don't have sex with co-workers". He could not help but laugh at her whispered, deep-voiced impression of their boss. "I do not think he made Rule # 12 because Jenny would not have sex with him anymore."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "I am sure that was part of it! She was pretty hot." This comment earned him a gentle swat from his partner.

"But you're right" he admitted. "I get the feeling that it was very, very bad between them in the end."

"She broke his heart, Tony." Ziva had known the history before coming to NCIS, but only from Jenny's perspective. It was not until she met Gibbs that she had understood the true depth of their relationship.

"As I was saying. The rule is not "No sex with co-workers". It is about something deeper than that. If it was simply about sex, then of course we would not be breaking it."

Tony mumbled something incomprehensible.

Ziva ignored him and continued.

 "As I understand it, the rule means no dating. No relationships. That is entirely different. No dating means no emotions and attachments and no chance of heartbreak. Dating means movies and dinner and spending more time with each other than with anyone else." She had obviously been thinking about this more than she had initially let on.

"You think we're dating?" Tony asked. "I've never dated anyone before without... you know..."

 "Sex?" she offered. "Truthfully, neither have I, but more...devout...practicing Jews do it all the time. Christians and other religions too."

Tony exhaled deeply. "I suppose. It is kind of weird though. Dating but no sex." How could he put this without getting his face slapped? "Not that you are not hot and it wouldn't be...I mean I know it would be amazing but it is not a good..." he floundered.

"You really are surprisingly bad at this, Tony," she laughed softly. "I am beginning to wonder how much of your great reputation you have just made up."

"But you are right," he ignored the dig. "Gibbs had his heart broken because he was emotionally involved. Attached. And I admit that I'm fairly attached to you." he smiled. He gently flicked the tip of her nose with is finger to prove his point.

"I dragged McGoo all the way to Somalia for vengeance when I thought you were dead. If that's not attachment then I don't know what is."

He stopped and thought. "So we are breaking Rule # 12. I kind of expected at least one of us to be naked if I ever said that. Ow!"

 She had punched him.

He continued, rubbing his arm. "So do we stop this and try and go back to how we were before Paris? Or do we just wait until Gibbs thinks we are actually sleeping together, the more normal kind of sleeping together, and head slaps us into the next county?"

"Oh, I am pretty sure Gibbs already thinks we have slept together. Probably more than once." she said lightly. "He thinks we did in Paris."

"Ha. I have better self control than Gibbs does. How much do I want to rub that in his face and...ow! Will you stop punching me!" He frowned at her. "You're going to give me Deep Vein Thrombosis or an embolism or something."

"Do you want to stop coming to my house?" she asked, getting him back on topic.

"No." He did not need a single moment to think about it. "No. It feels right. Besides, it would be like closing the barn door after the horse has bolted."

"And if we are already attached," she continued, "Then the damage is already done."

Tony chuckled softly at her repeating his idiom. "I think I proved that last summer when I had my little breakdown." _Business as usual lost all meaning_ he remembered.

Suddenly wishing she had watched more chick flicks, Ziva wondered if there was a way to define what they had.

"Is there a name for this thing we have? What would they call it in one of your movies?"

"This?" he asked. "I honestly have no idea. This is new for me. More than friends, without benefits? We are definitely more than friends but we are not lovers. What comes in between?"

"Um. For me, usually one date, Tony. Until now. I do not want to 'jump into bed' with you. Not that I do not find you very appealing. But I do not think that we should make this any more complicated than it already is."

He nodded slowly. "We still need some level of professionalism at work. You have always distracted me more than I should let you. But I agree. Continue as is. I need to know where the line is. Rules or not, you are still hot and I am still..."

"A man?" she offered. "Who has shown remarkable self control until now." she patted his cheek with a grin. "But you are right. It is unfair of me to provoke you the way I do. I will be more...careful."

"Not _too _careful." Tony teased. He didn't want to lose the flirting that was often the highlight of his day.

"We don't need to say anything to anyone, right? I mean... Man this is weird." Tony's head was swimming. He was now officially dating Ziva. And he liked the thought of that.


End file.
